“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. 3. With joy will you draw water from the wells of salvation.”
The twelfth chapter of Isaiah is a song of praise, as well as a prophecy of the trustworthiness of God. Verses 2-3 give us a glimpse of Isaiah’s personal faith and hope. (Let us pray that it will be contagious.) Isaiah declared that the Lord Himself was his salvation. He also declared that because of this, he would not be afraid. As I read my Bible this morning, this was an encouraging word to me in this troubled day. We need to put our faith and trust in the Lord and not be afraid. Isaiah lived during the Assyrian invasion that captured the northern tribe of Israel and was threatening the southern tribe of Judah. Isaiah encouraged Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and helped give him the courage to face Assyria, and to see the Lord save Judah – which was what happened. The same Lord will give us the courage to face our own problems and fears. The Lord will lead us over, around or through our problems and fears. Isaiah declared that “the Lord, the Lord is my strength and my song, He has become my salvation.” We need to really put it in our minds and hearts that the Lord Jesus Christ will give us the strength to overcome whatever we need to overcome. In the Lord Jesus Christ we have strength greater than our own. Where did David find the strength to face Goliath? Did he trust in the strength of his sling shot and five stones? Here is what David said to Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45: “You have come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord almighty….” David found his strength from the same source that we can use, that is in the strength of the “Lord Almighty.” Isaiah’s message to his fellow Israelites promised that: “With joy you will draw water from the well of salvation.” It is in God’s salvation and strength that we find joy. It is a well of joy that will never run dry. In John 4:14, Jesus told the woman at the well, and us, that: “Whoever drinks of the water that I give him shall never thirst.” No matter what we face, we know that the Lord will be with us. I have found in my own battles with fear that His presence is enough. There is strength and joy in knowing that He is present with us in all that we face in life. This is true for you! Let’s join Isaiah and trust in the Lord in His salvation, strength and joy. Bro. Joe
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“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God.”
Here is the profound request: “Give me love; give me chastity, give me faith.” This is a quote from Columbanus, a missionary in the 6th and 7th centuries. This should be our request if we are to live in obedience to the Lord. I want to share my thoughts on it with you. “Give me love…” Who does not need to pray for God to shower His love upon and through us? 1John 4:7, expresses it: “Beloved, let us one another, for love is of God.” This is not actually a request, but it is a command. It is a command that has come through the centuries to the present day. Love is the essence of the Christian gospel, and we sorely need to practice it in our daily lives. When Jesus was asked “which is the great commandment of the Lord?” Here is His answer: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. In these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." “Give me chastity…” “Chastity” is not a word that we use today. We use the word “pure,” or “holy.” What it means is that we want God to enable us to live pure lives. This is more easily asked than accomplished. That is why we need for God help in living pure lives. When Jesus ascended to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to help us to live pure lives. Paul nailed the essence of this in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” “Give me faith…” Of course, what he was asking for was greater faith in Jesus Christ. Actually, we do a lot of things by faith on a daily basis without really thinking about it. We need to consciously look to Christ in every aspect of our lives. John wrote about this in 1John 5:4: “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” We have all of the faith that is needed to overcome, we just need to claim it in the name of Jesus. We need to pray for the Lord to give us love, chastity and faith. Bro. Joe “Say unto God, ‘how terrible are you in your works! Through the greatness of your power shall your enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4. All the earth shall worship you, and shall sing unto you; they shall sing to your name. 5. Come and see the works of God: He is terrible in His doing toward the children of men. 6. He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in Him."
“And if a man strive for the masteries, yet he is not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”
Paul used the good athlete to give one description of what it is required of an effective Christian witness. First, he wrote that a good athlete has to “strive lawfully.” How we would say that today is “that a person cannot be a good athlete unless he, or she, plays by the rules.” There is no athletic endeavor that does not require that one play by the rules. If he, or she, is a runner, he, or she has to stay in his, or her, lane. The racer finishes the race in the same lane that he started in. We cannot be effective Christians if we do not live by true Christian principles. One cannot decide that he can claim the name of Christ, and then continue in the life he was living before accepting Jesus. Jesus makes a difference in the way we live. A football player cannot take the ball and run anywhere he wants. He must stay in the bounds of the field. Of course the major rule is that to become a Christian one needs to accept Christ as his, or her, Savior. I could go on and on with this, but I think you understand what I mean. Second, if a good athlete plays by the rules, he. or she, will strive to be a good teammate. Of course, I am talking about getting along well with fellow players. A lot of good teams have run afoul because of problems with players on the same team. When we accept Christ, we will not be in it alone. We will have to live in fellowship with fellow Christians in a church, or whatever where you attend calls it. Like many a good teams have run afoul because of trouble between team mates, many a church has run afoul because of problems between fellow Christians. One of the main rules in sports, and in church, is that people work together to be best team possible. Third, if a good athlete plays by the rules, he will have good sportsmanship. This includes playing by the rules and being a good teammate. A good athlete will try to be in good relationships with his, or her, teammates. The good athlete will play with good sportsmanship with opposing teams. Nothing can mess up a team like people cheating and ignoring the rules. This is particularly true of fellowship in a Christian church. There will be disagreements among Christians, but they can be solved by remembering that we are in the work for Christ, and that He can help us solve every problem in His spirit. It would be great if this was always the case in church fellowship. Bro. Joe “Be not righteous over much: neither make yourself over wise: why should you destroy yourself?”
When I read through the Bible each year I inevitably come upon Ecclesiastes. (lol) This book contains some thoughts that make me scratch my head and say “What did he say?” I want you to bear with me for a few minutes and let’s see what this verse tells us, or at least what they told me. Do not be “righteous over much” means to be too righteous. Is it possible to be too righteous? Jesus thought so, because he took the scribes and Pharisees to task for their self-righteousness. We have a good example in Luke 18:9-14. In verse 9 Jesus accused the Pharisees of being self-righteous: “And (Jesus) spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in them, that they were righteous, and despised others.” The verses that follow tell us of two men who went to the temple in Jerusalem to pray. Their prayers indicated their righteousness. Here is the prayer of the Pharisee: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God I thank you that I am not as other men are extortionist, unjust, adulterers, or even this publican'…” I think you get to the point. When we get to the point that we claim to be righteous ourselves to the point that we despise others, or look down on them, we are “righteous over much.” Incidentally, the publican (tax collector) simply prayed “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus commended that simple prayer. Today, we would say that the Pharisee was smug in his own righteousness. This does not mean that we should not live righteous lives but that we need to realize that we ourselves are not righteous, because righteousness is a result of faith in Jesus Christ. We should not be ashamed of living a righteous life. We just need to remember that we were made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ not by our own efforts. In Romans 4 Paul wrote about the faith of Abraham. God has promised him that he and Sarah would have an heir, which happened when Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90. In Romans 4:22, Paul wrote about Abraham’s faith: “That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness.” In verses 23-25 Paul gives us the basis of our righteousness: “But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24. But for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord. 25. Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” Whew! I hope I have adequately explained to you what it means to “not be righteous much.” Bro. Joe “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the Gentiles.”
This great promise given to the Isralites, based on the way God works with His people, the promise certainly pertains to us. There is nothing written here that cannot be seen in the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives. The basis of the promise in this verse is “I will keep you.” The Lord said, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness.” God’s keeping us is bound up in the fact that He has called us. This means that He called us and we responded to the call and when we did, we became intrinsically bound up in His will and leadership in our lives. We need to realize that in our answer to His call, God has ownership in our lives, and becomes a part of all that we do in life. This is difficult for some people for they think that God’s ownership of us takes away our free will. Jesus said that “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Frankly, I had rather be free in the arms of God than in the trap of Satan. The Lord said, “I will take hold of your hand.” This is good news. The promise of Jesus is that He will never leave or forsake us. It is comforting when we are held in God’s hand. I remember walking across the dark schoolyard in my hometown with my dad to “shoot some baskets” at the gym. I used to reach out periodically and take his hand so that I would know that he was still with me. (lol) This is not all that prayer is, but there is a sense that when we talk to Him, we have a sense of safety. It is a great relief to me that the Lord is holding my hand and that “underneath are the everlasting arms.” Take comfort in the fact this is true for your life. Reach out your hand to Him and discover the security of having the Lord hold your hand. The Lord said, “I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the Gentiles.” He called them to reach out to the world, just as Jesus called us to reach out to the world. Throughout the Old Testament the prophecy about the coming of Christ and about his salvation for the Gentiles is prominent. The Lord does not call us, keep us and hold our hands, to live a self-contained life. He calls us to reach out to people and to be a witness to them of the love of Christ. This begins by our living exemplary lives before the world and showing them to love and the righteousness of Christ. Praise the Lord for His promising to keep you, and let Him do it! Bro. Joe “I took you from the ends of the earth; from the farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant; I have chosen you, and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’”
This is a promise that God gave to Israel through the prophet Isaiah. It is a promise that we can also believe and enjoy. It tells us that our God is a willing God. The first thing that we need to know is that God has not rejected us. It is sometimes difficult for us to believe that the sovereign, almighty creator of the universe will actually accept us and not reject us. We are not worthy of His acceptance, but He accepts us by His grace and mercy. If you feel that God has rejected you, just remember that He “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus loves you and will accept you. The second thing that we need to know is that we should not be afraid. It is not unusual for people to be afraid in our volatile, and sometimes, hateful world. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 56:3: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in you.” It is good to know that He is always with us and will not forsake us. The one thing that you can be sure of is that God is only a prayer away from you wherever you are. In Psalm 56:2, David wrote: “My enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most high.” David was literally surrounded by enemies when he wrote this, but whenever he became afraid he remembered that he could trust God. What time you are afraid, you can also trust in Him. The third thing that we need to know is that we do not have to be dismayed. There are two things that Isaiah mentions here to remind us that we do not have to be dismayed, puzzled, or disheartened, because He is our God, who will be with us and according to our text He “will strengthen us and help us and will uphold us with His righteous right hand.” When you are disheartened, keep in mind that you have the God of the universe on your side. He is the God who is willing to help you because He has accepted you, He knows when you are afraid or when you are dismayed. Lean on Him….He wants you to lean on Him. Bro. Joe . “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small….”
“Adversity” is often the result of suffering, or a disastrous experience. We all meet it at some time or other. The question is how we meet adversity when it comes. Our attitude is important during these times.There are some things that can happen when we meet adversity. Following are three of them. First, we can quit. It has been said that “A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.” What if Peter had quit after his denial of Jesus? There would not have been a “Pentecostal Sermon” or first, second and third Peter in the New Testament. What if Paul had quit after the extreme persecution that he faced in his first missionary journey? A lot of our New Testament would be missing if Paul had quit. What does a quitter look like? Judas is an extreme example. He just ended it all after his betrayal of Jesus. Have you ever thought of the fact that he could have been forgiven? If Paul could be forgiven and used after his extreme persecution of Christians, Judas could have been forgiven but he chose to quit. Don’t let adversity cause you to quit. Second, we can feel sorry for ourselves. For example, some people have a “gigantic pity party” when adversity strikes. They think, “Why Me? Why do these things happen to me?” Haven’t you felt this at some time in your life? And I think that you will agree that this was not your finest moment. I think of the adversity that Moses faced when he led the Jews in the desert. He had moments when he didn’t act wisely, as when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it to get water, but he did not give in to even that, and kept doing all that God called him to do. I think of the adversity that Daniel faced when he was thrown in the den of lions for merely praying. He did not fuss and say, “You can’t throw me to the lions.” In fact, he went into to den of lions and came out victoriously. Third, on the positive side, we can seek the Lord when we face adversity. God is our only real source of strength in overcoming adversity – at least this has been true in my life. Only God can give us the strength and understanding not to quit, or to feel sorry for ourselves or become bitter. The Lord gives us the courage and faith to accept our lot in life. He can give us the knowledge, courage and faith to realize that He is in control and that He will see us through whatever adversity we may face in life. He can use our hardships to build our character. It is in the school of testing and trial that we learn to use our faith in God. Remember the text: “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small” because you did not depend on the Lord. Bro.Joe “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoso puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
Our text reminds of one of the main themes of scripture: It is wise to trust in the Lord. It is a lesson that I have come to understand in my own journey through life. I thought of some of the advantages of trusting in the Lord. The first advantage is suggested in our text, i.e., that it is safe to trust in the Lord. When we try to make it through life just trusting in our own judgment, we make all kinds of mistakes. I know that in the times of dire illness in my own life, I learned to just surrender the days to the Lord and trust that He would work it out, and in His will I would be safe. It is great to know that we can surrender time and circumstance to the Lord and He will take care of it – whatever “it” is at the time. Surrender your will to the Lord’s will! The second advantage of trusting the Lord is that we will approach life with greater confidence. I remember when we decided to move from our financial security where we were to go to seminary in North Carolina we would have never done it without trusting in the Lord. We made the move trusting that this was what the Lord wanted us to do. Trusting in the Lord, we made the move with confidence, knowing that we were in the Lord’s hands. When Paul made his missionary journeys, he confidently moved from place to place knowing that he was guided by the hand of God. Whatever you are planning, ask the Lord for His guidance, and you can move with confidence that you are doing the right thing. The third advantage of trusting in the Lord is that we can approach life with a greater sense of security. I often recall the promise that the Lord make to Israel in Deuteronomy 33:27: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms….” I believe that the “everlasting arms” are available to us in our own situations in life. I can’t imagine facing life without knowing that the Lord is present with me, and that underneath are His “everlasting arms.” They are there for you as well as you face the trying situations of your own life. The fourth advantage of trusting in the Lord will enable us to face life with a greater sense of joy and peace. I have certainly found this to be true in my life. Jesus promised both joy and peace to those who trust in Him. Two verses that I think of often are the promises that Jesus made about joy and peace. The first is John 15:11: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” The second on John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Remember these verses as you face your own problems in life. Surrender your life to God’s will and trust Him to lead you in the right direction. Bro. Joe “Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted in the earth. 11. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”
The two verses of our text are among my favorite verses. They are full of promise for our lives and I want to share that promise with you. I call it “A Formula for Victorious Living.” The first promise is that if we will “be still” we can learn about God: “Be still and know that I am God.” We need to pause in the turmoil around us and take stock of our lives and of our God. We need to stop and reflect on Jesus and all that He means to us. The voice of the Lord is often drowned out in the midst of all that is going on around us, and He wants us to “be still” and know that He is God." Do you ever stop and ponder the Lord, just ponder Him in all of His majesty? I think that these moments of pondering and praying draw us closer to the Lord and give us a greater understanding of who He is and what He means to our lives. Just stop for a moment, listen to God with your heart, think, and meditate, deeply on the Lord! I promise you it will be rewarding. The second promise is that we can know that He is God. You might be thinking that you know that He is God. How profoundly has this affected your life? No doubt you do know that there is a God, but do you ever stop and think about what He means to your life? Psalm 100: 3 reminds us: “Know you that the Lord He is God: and it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” Do you ever really think about what it means to be “His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Because of your faith in Jesus, you literally belong to Him. Meditate for a moment on the depth and profundity of this truth. Stop and think about some of these wonderful truths: (1) you know that God loves you. Just stop and say “God loves me.” (2) You know that because of your faith in Jesus, you have a personal relationship with the living God. (3) You know that you will never be hopeless in your life because you have placed your hope in the God of all hope. Will you stop for a moment today and contemplate, and pray about what this means to you? .This is the path of victorious living! The third promise is that: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” You will never be alone, because the Lord has promised to be with you. Stop and rejoice about the presence of the Lord in your life, for the promise that the Holy Spirit will be with you through all of the joys and pitfalls that you will face in your life. One of the greatest joys in my life is that I can go to Him for refuge, and He will sustain, teach and encourage me. I also take comfort in the fact that He will rebuke and discipline me to keep on the right track. Don’t you agree that these two verses can help you to live victoriously? Then: “Be still and know that (He is) God…” Bro. Joe |
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